Thursday, July 9, 2009

Have it Both Ways


via IO9 and Filmdrunk


If you were lucky enough to tune into maker of sense and teller of truths Jeff Blair hosting Prime Time Sports Tuesday afternoon, you'd have heard yours truly chiming in as the first caller of the show. I'm still a low-level blogging scumbag not a big swinging dick like Parkes and Stoeten so I have to call in and sit on hold like a chump when I wish to take to the airwaves. My question (point?) was this: could we not perceive dumping BJ Ryan as an attempt to make the club better rather than the fire sale Blair questioned JP about? Were he really the do-nothing lay about some might suggest; wouldn't he be content to keep wheeling Ryan's decreped bones or letting him rot in the bullpen to risk paying him to do nothing? Sunk cost friends, money that isn't coming back. His cost is now set, at least he won't cost you dollars on the pitching rubber.

While I appreciate Mathias of Mop Up Duty's efforts to make BJ Ryan appear competent over the month of June (1.04 ERA, 1.38 WHIP) it just isn't true. Ryan's June FIP - 5.92! on a BABIP of .189. K/BB Rate - 0.50 (3 K/9 to 6 BB/9) Batters swinging at less than 40% of his pitches, though they contacted over 90%. Just bad all around.

Is it a shame and a sin to wash their hands of all that money? Of course. At least he's no longer a detriment to the ball club. Yet people are mad at the GM again. So last year he held on to underperforming players and we got mad. This year he cuts his losses with an underperforming player and we get mad again? I don't get it. A player without trade value as well as on-field value is worthless; no matter how much it costs.

Call the Meeting of Brandon League Apologists to Order!


Poor Brandon League. Give up game-winning tater tots certainly isn't a good thing, but let's be real for a second. He pitched well. Really well. One mistake that wasn't even a mistake. Watch the video here and note that pitch didn't really miss. If anything it was a little further inside than Barajas wanted it. Perhaps another angle:


Hardly a meatball, that's a 96 mph fastball down and in. Burrell ran into it, the game ended. It didn't move as much as many of his fastballs (back into the right hander) so I guess that means it didn't move enough. Deep sigh.

Much love and appreciation to Brooks Baseball pitch fx database! Support their fight against ALS here

7 comments:

  1. League for Life.

    As for your call-in, I missed it, but did you end off with a "Believe in Rolen" to really end it off right?

    ReplyDelete
  2. "Please, call me Jeff."

    ReplyDelete
  3. Did PleasecallmeJeff know it was you from your Rolen Twitter Warz?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Mr. Blair! Loved it.


    Yet people are mad at the GM again. So last year he held on to underperforming players and we got mad. This year he cuts his losses with an underperforming player and we get mad again? I don't get it. A player without trade value as well as on-field value is worthless; no matter how much it costs.

    A-FUCKING-MEN.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Actually a player without trade value and without on-field value is less than worthless because he costs a roster spot. JP recouped that cost. Playoffs!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm pretty sure or at least a little hopeful that Blair assumed it was me. I also think he was a little flustered as the BJ Ryan thing happened seconds before he went on air. His interview with JP was solid if not impromptu.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I can see what you're saying, Ryan wasn't all that great but don't tell me your using a calculation such as FIP with such a small monthly sample!

    ReplyDelete

Send forth the witticisms from on high